Photo/LAUREN FLORENCE ST. CLAIRSVILLE quarterback Andrew Vera runs through the Bellaire defense during the Devils game last week. St. C. will be on the road Friday when it visits Morristown to take on rival Union Local.

St. Clairsville and Union Local are coming into Friday’s meeting in Morristown riding different waves of emotion.

The Red Devils (5-2) have won two straight since falling to Linsly, while the Jets (5-1) are coming off their first on-field loss of the season last week when they fell to Cambridge, 35-32.

Neither head coach, however, is spending too much time worrying about anything that can’t be changed.

“This is a league game and all of us are in the same situation,” St. C. head coach Brett McLean said. “Simply take it one week at a time and worry about the next one, regardless of what happened in the previous one. We don’t put a lot of weight into what’s in everyone’s rear-view mirror.”

Bernie Thompson, meanwhile, admits that last week was “tough” because of on and off-field issues, but his team has taken the proper steps to make sure they’re in the right frame of mind for the Red Devils.

“We had to endure a lot of things and we didn’t play our best game last week and Cambridge had a lot to do with that,” Thompson said. “There are a lot of lessons to be learned from a loss and we took a lot from it. We’re still in a good position with all of our main goals out there in front of us. We have a chance to bounce back against a very good St. Clairsville team and I expect us to be focused and ready for the challenge.”

For Thompson, this weeks marks his return to the sideline. He was suspended due to OHSAA rules after receiving a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a win at Weir two weeks ago.

On the field, both teams are very similar to one another, relying on their ground games for the bulk of their offense. Taking their similarities a step farther, both teams two-headed rushing attack features their quarterback as a key cog and both teams boast formidable offensive lines.

“Running wise, their quarterback is as good as we’ve seen,” McLean said of Jets’ senior Carter Blake. “Obviously, he and (Jaksan) Price really complement each other well. When you consider that Price is the all-time leading rusher in their school’s history, it tells you all you need to know about how good he is.”

Price has been impressive this fall to say the least. He’s rushed for an area-best 1,472 yards and 22 touchdowns. He’s averaging more than a first down per carry.

Blake, meanwhile, has accumulated 557 yards and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground. He’s thrown for only 444 yards on 33 of 77 accuracy with five touchdowns.

Sophomore Dre Saunders is the Jets’ leading pass catcher with 16 receptions for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

On the other side, St. Clairsville’s attack features senior quarterback Andrew Vera and classmate Jacob Walker. The latter is coming off a four-touchdown, 158-yard effort in last week’s win against Bellaire.

For the season, Walker has rushed for 690 yards and nine touchdowns on 113 totes, while Vera has amassed 533 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Through the air, Vera is 41 of 76 for 705 yards and eight touchdowns, but he’s thrown a like number of interceptions.

When the Devils to do pass, junior Cole Thoburn, who has been a catalyst for big plays this fall, is the leader with 10 catches for 159 yards.

“It all starts up front and St. Clairsville is big and tough on both sides of the ball,” Thompson said. “The quarterback makes a lot of plays, so we have to limit his legs. St. Clairsville is St. Clairsville. They have playmakers, physically tough kids and they’re well coached. They don’t make mistakes.”